The Symbol-Making Machine: Examining the Role of Electronic Symbol Making in Children’s Literacy Development

Health literacy is a critically important determinant of health and is influenced by access to supportive social networks and services. Global investment in education throughout the life course is required to support health literacy development. The aim of this review is to characterize the role, responsibilities, and the optimal setting for the emergent role of a Health Literacy Mediator (HLM). A scoping review of recent literature was conducted. The review revealed a lack of consensus on who should be teaching health literacy, and variability in confidence when teaching health literacy. Professionals reported facing barriers such as a lack of time, a lack of knowledge, and recognized that the health literacy needs of children worldwide are not being met. Further research into the role of HLM is required to determine who is best suited to this role and what their responsibilities will be to ensure consistent health literacy education.

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HEARING-LOSS AND EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF LINGUISTIC SKILLS AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS THAT CAN BENEFIT DHH CHILDREN

EDULEARN21 Proceedings ◽

10.21125/edulearn.2021.2599 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wilmare Terblanche ◽

Annalene van Staden

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Early Literacy ◽

Literacy Development ◽

Support Programs ◽

Early Literacy Development ◽

Linguistic Skills

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Foundations for Literacy: Emergent Literacy Competencies of Grade R Learners on the Cape Flats

South African Journal of Communication Disorders ◽

10.4102/sajcd.v54i1.751 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 20-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ingrid Willenberg

Keyword(s):

Emergent Literacy ◽

South African ◽

Literacy Development ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Assessment Protocol ◽

Emergent Literacy Skills ◽

Children's Literacy

International research has demonstrated that a considerable amount of children’s literacy development occurs prior to formal schooling and that emergent literacy skills at school entry are strong predictors of later literacy and general academic achievement. These findings have prompted vigorous early intervention programmes aimed at promoting emergent literacy development to optimise the development of conventional literacy. While there is considerable research conducted in developed countries, there is limited research on the emergent literacy skills of children in South African contexts. In the light of increasing evidence of poor literacy performance of South African children in the foundation phase of schooling it is imperative that appropriate and timely intervention be undertaken. However it is important that intervention be informed by baseline assessments of the children’s literacy competencies in the full spectrum of socio-cultural contexts in this diverse country. This study documents the emergent literacy competencies of 101 grade R (the year prior to grade 1, equivalent to kindergarten in the United States) learners attending schools in historically disadvantaged coloured communities on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. An Emergent Literacy and Language Assessment protocol was developed for use with this population. The children’s performance on the assessment tool indicated that in general they possessed a reasonable repertoire of emergent literacy skills. Although they displayed adequate skills to support acquisition of print decoding skills necessary for fluent reading, weaknesses in the decontextualised language skills that have been found to support later reading comprehension, were evident.

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